Saturday seems so far away, with the Philadelphia Phillies enjoying a first-round bye for the second consecutive postseason. They took the No. 2 seed in the National League and now must waiting to host the Wild Card Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
The Phillies will look to make any adjustment they can to avoid last year's stumble and fall. It was a disappointing exit that neither the Phillies nor Phillies fans want to endure again. Last season felt like a slow death, but this season feels different.
It feels like the type of season that Philadelphia has been dreaming of. This roster is built to win it all.
This version of the Phillies is built to win it all in October
The Phillies have multiple players that could potentially end up on the MVP ballot for the National League. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber finished with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs on the year. His home run total was the most in the NL in 2025 and was only two homers shy of Ryan Howard's franchise record of 58 in 2006.
The outfield, which has been a major problem in recent years, now looks to be a strength for them heading into October. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stuck with Brandon Marsh after his rough .095 batting average through April. From May 1 on, he batted .303 and finished his 2025 season hitting .280. That marks the best mark of his career.
Then there's the addition of Harrison Bader to the Phillies' center field position. Bader gives a true throwback feel, while also living up to the hype since being acquired at the trade deadline. In 50 games with the Phillies, he hit .305 with an .824 OPS. The deal for him has been a slam dunk and now gives the Phillies an anchor in the outfield for the postseason.
The Phillies also have the best starting rotation in the sport. The starting staff led the NL with a 3.53 ERA and led all of baseball with 21.5 fWAR. They can legitimately carve through any lineup, and that's not even considering the loss of ace Zack Wheeler. If there was ever an embarrassment of riches for a baseball team, the Phillies' rotation has it. The Phillies have another ace in Cristopher Sánchez, who finished 2025 with a 13-5 record, a 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 202 innings.
The bullpen may be the only question mark coming into postseason play. They ranked 20th in MLB with a 4.27 ERA and lost José Alvarado to suspension early in the year. The Phillies hit a real low point with their bullpen in the first half, but then they acquired Jhoan Duran from the Twins. Duran had a 2.06 ERA and 32 saves in 72 games in 2025. The Phillies have their closer, so the bullpen will be in much better shape in a shortened playoff series.
The Phillies are excited to get in front of their home fans on Saturday to kick off Red October.
The roster is stacked through and through. Even if it's not perfect in every aspect, they have the depth to challenge any team in baseball.
Whether it's MVP-, Cy Young- or Gold Glove-caliber seasons by the Phillies, it's the team chemistry that helps them do so well. They've performed in their individual seasons, but they care more about the common goal of winning the World Series, make no mistake about it.